Downstairs loo or utility room, which is more important to you?

[whatsnewpussycat34]

I’m having a kitchen extension and I only have room for one of the above. I already have a downstairs loo, but I want to convert this to a utility, but DH wants to keep the loo.

My argument is that we don’t have children and washing all over the house drives me nuts. A dedicated place for washing seems far more practical.

We also have an en-suite, so three toilets seems over kill!

We didn't have space for both in our extension so we were going to combine downstairs shower room + utility, but then it turned out we could fit a washing machine and tumble drier stacked in the cupboard under the stairs. If you invest in a new tumble drier you might find you can put more things in it - we recently got an LG heat pump one and it's got settings for delicates, sportswear etc. and I trust it for most things apart from my nicest wool stuff (even though it does have a wool setting).

Get a greenhouse for Winter drying of clothes. And Summer growing of lovely food. 😊

Keep your d/s loo as it is.

I don’t think greenhouses are suitable for families with children. All that non safety glass!

What’s your upstairs floor plan? Any chance of an upstairs washing room? In my old house I had my drier upstairs in the bathroom cupboard where the old water boiler used to be.

I also previously had a lootility where I had a toilet with a sink in the top of it to save space and water. The water from washing hands went into the cistern and was used to flush.

It’s illegal to remove a downstairs toilet, has been for some time

Oh and you can’t make the toilet less accessible, all downstairs toilets (last 20 years) are wheelchair accessible. How old your house is matter here!

If you are going to the expense of having an extension, couldn't the utility be fitted into that somewhere?
Is your bathroom large enough to fit in a utility space? My parents have their washing machine and tumble dryer in their bathroom and love it. No double handling the washing.

Downstairs loo for me. I have both and I still have clothes all over the utility 😂 (I’m terrible at putting it away!)

A loo.
I don’t like the sound of a combined loo/utility unless a door separates the two.

I could potentially do this? There’s a loo in the little room there, next to the washing machine, behind that wall with a pocket door.

I will be copying this whole house vibe to be fair 😂 I think it’s beautiful

I would love to have a utility room. I have lived my whole life dangling clothes around the kitchen and bathrooms when it is wet outside and using a lot of mental energy planning laundry. Having said that I would never give up a downstairs loo . As soon as you have older parents, young DC or an injury having to climb the stairs for a pee is a nuisance. DM couldn’t visit my DD in her little house as she wouldn’t have managed the stairs .if you can’t manage both sacrifice the utility .

That's a large space where the loo is. I would replace with a loo with a hand basin incorporated into the cistern and have a washing machine and either stack a dryer or have cupboards and working top above it.

That isn't exactly a utility room, of course.

I like that OP! A surface next to the machines is really handy.

If you can only have one then I’d pick loo. That said, I’d never buy a house without a utility so try and squeeze in a combo?

i’ve got both and the utility room is my favourite,all washing kept out the way.

Toilet

I didn't think a downstairs loo was that important. And then, practically overnight, I became mobility impaired in my 30s. Thank god I had a downstairs loo.

Can't you just put an airer/maiden in the downstairs loo? Moving the sink on top fo the loo to make more space?

Loo downstairs for guest and people doing work in the house.

I have a hybrid. There’s a toilet and a sink and also washing machine and dryer. I have a rod across from wall to wall and hang clothes there if needed.

We have this…the toilet is tucked behind the door,so very discreet!

Any possibility you could get a utility cupboard in upstairs? I found having laundry facilities near the bedroom is way more convenient in many ways (though if you do your laundry at night, it needs v. good soundproofing).

Op I think you may be the same poster who was thinking how to incorporate a utility into your extension with a side extension added to your plans as I recognise the floor plan? Your DH didn't want to move so you were improving? In that case you should have the utility of that's what you want as you are compromising on the move 😊

Love the word lootility. Never heard of it before. Every day is a school day😂

I wouldn't want a loo opening onto the kitchen like that- thought you needed 2 doors between kitchen and loo for building regs?

Equally if there's no kids then I'd don't understand why you've laundry everywhere? Have you seen the ceiling aireres at top of stairs I think they're quite good and don't take up usable space.